Vending machines (also referred to herein as “unattended machines,” “unattended retail machines,” “automatic retail machines,” and “automatic retailing machines”), in the broadest sense, have been around for thousands of years. The first simple mechanical coin operated vending machines were introduced in the 1880s. Modern vending machines stock many different types of products including, but not limited to drinks (e.g. water, juice, coffee, and soda) and edible food products/items (e.g. snacks, candy, fruit, and frozen meals), as well as a wide variety of non-food items. In this fast paced world, vending machines are ubiquitous.
Vending machines are one type of “payment accepting unit” (payment accepting units are also referred to herein generically as “machines”). A payment accepting unit (or machine) is equipment that requires payment for the dispensing of products and/or services. In addition to vending machines, payment accepting units can also be other machines that require payment for the dispensing of a product and/or services including, but not limited to parking meters, toll booths, laundromat washers and dryers, arcade games, kiosks, photo booths, toll booths, transit ticket dispensing machines, and other known or yet to be discovered payment accepting units.
In using a payment accepting unit, a user will (1) approach the payment accepting unit, (2) determine from the face of the payment accepting unit the product (or service) he desires, (3) insert payment (e.g. coins, bills, or payment cards), and (4) input his selection into the payment accepting unit using a user interface (e.g. a series of buttons, a key pad, touch screen, or other input mechanism using, for example, the column and row at which a product is located). Based on the user's inputted selection, technology within the payment accepting unit provides the desired product (or service) to the user.
As the number of people with internet-connected mobile devices proliferates, so does the variety of uses for such devices. Mobile payment is a logical extension.
There is a large development effort around bringing mobile payment to the retail sector in an effort to not only provide options to the user, but also increased convenience.
In recent years, many improvements to modern vending machines have been suggested. Many of the innovations relate to means for communicating with the vending machine. Some of these communication innovations are detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,309 to Whigham (the “Whigham reference”), U.S. Pat. No. 7,085,556 to Offer (the “Offer reference”), U.S. Pat. No. 7,127,236 to Khan et al. (the “Khan reference”), U.S. Pat. No. 7,721,958 to Belfer et al. (the “Belfer reference”), U.S. Pat. No. 8,396,589 to Katzenstein Garibaldi et al. (the “Garibaldi reference”), U.S. Pat. No. 8,489,140 to Weiner et al. (the “Weiner reference”), and International Publication No. WO/2008/083025 to Carlson (the “Carlson reference”).
The Whigham reference is directed to a system and method for purchasing a product from an automatic vending machine by means of a consumer's cellular telephone. The consumer requests a product available from the vending machine by dialing a specified telephone number that connects the consumer's cellular telephone to a server operated by a billing agency. The server recognizes the request for the product, creates a transaction record, and communicates a vend code to the consumer. Upon receiving the vend code from the server, the consumer transmits the vend code to the vending machine. The vend code may be an RF code, an audible tone code, or a manual code. Upon receipt of the vend code from the consumer, the vending machine dispenses the requested product.
The Offer reference is directed to a vending machine that is designed to communicate with a cellular phone such that it dispenses a product when it receives information indicating that the product has been selected. The Offer reference teaches permitting the cashless utilization of a vending machines via a communications service, such as a cellular telephone. A response to a signal from the cellular telephone from the vending machine that indicates that a connection has been established between the vending machine and the cellular phone may be a visual indication that is displayed on the cellular telephone. The vending machine outputs the cost of the product and that cost is debited from an account to pay for the product.
The Khan reference describes a point of sale MicroAdapter device that enables payment transactions to be effected through a purchaser's personal trusted device (e.g. the user selecting the micropayment application on his personal trusted device and confirming or cancelling the purchase thereon) without relying upon tokens or prepayment cards. In one embodiment, the MicroAdapter includes a transceiver configured to receive a purchase signal from the personal trusted device including order and payment information. In response, the MicroAdapter communicates via wireless telephony with a transaction authorizer to receive authorization for effectuating the purchase transaction. The MicroAdapter can effectuate micropayment transactions authorized by a Billing On Behalf of Others program administered through a wireless carrier/ISP or third party.
The Belfer reference is directed to a system wherein a vending machine has an audio code collector and a code validator that is adapted to receive audio tones from a mobile device. The audio tones include authentication codes and dispense codes to control dispensing of product from the vending machine. To start the transaction, the consumer dials a unique set of symbols and digits to route the call to a verification server. The symbols and digits may correspond to a unique vending machine identification number and product identification numbers.
The Garibaldi reference is directed to an electronic device for the sale of intangible products through vending machines that include interfaces to communicate with external peripherals through the MDB protocol, the RS232 standard, and the DEX protocol, an interface to communicate with users, a communications system that enables it to act as part of a network and communicate with a central system, and a controller, that articulates the communication among the above-mentioned components, so as to enable a central system to perform diverse actions on a vending machine.
The Weiner reference is directed to a system and method for providing product or service with a cellular telephone. The problem identified in the Weiner reference is that mobile communication devices are long-range electronic devices designed to be used for long-range communications. Eschewing the use of near-field communication because it requires special design or modification of the mobile station (e.g. the vending machine), the Weiner reference teaches a mobile communication device identifier, consisting of: a shielding defining a coverage area, the shielding arranged to reduce radio signals originating externally of the coverage area to be less than a pre-determined signal strength; an antenna associated within the defined coverage area; a transceiver coupled to the antenna, the transceiver communicating with a mobile station inserted within the defined coverage area utilizing a signal strength greater than the pre-determined signal strength; and a service control unit responsive to the transceiver, the service control unit responsive to the communication to output a signal indicative of an authorization to provide a product or service.
The Carlson reference is directed to a system and a method for using a portable consumer device such as a mobile phone for payments and the like. One embodiment of the Carlson system is directed to a method that includes the steps of receiving a payment request message (that includes a request to pay for a product from a vending machine) from a portable consumer device operated by a consumer, sending an authorization response message back to the vending machine wherein the vending machine subsequently prompts the consumer to enter a selection if the authorization response message indicates that the consumer is authorized to make a purchase, and receiving an acknowledgement message from the vending machine that the product was purchased. The step of “sending an authorization response message back to the vending machine” is performed by a remote payment server and would require a persistent network connection.